Toddler restaurant ideas

[aristocatz]

After 3 years (??!!), we are finally headed back to WDW!!!!!!!

We will be going in early December. During this trip, it will be me, DH, DD5, DD2 (almost 3), & my parents. My 2 year old will be turning 3 halfway into the trip.

We really want to make this trip special, as we are not a family who can afford a WDW every year. Also, my parents are older making these memories with them and my kids is really important to me.

My parents love buffets and prefer to go to them for most of the trip. They only like doing TS for dinner. My main interest is theming for the kids.

We are going for 4 days and only going to MK, Epcot, & DAK.

My 2 year old loves Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, & Moana
My 5 year old loves the princesses & Moana.

Here are the restaurants we are thinking:
1) Crystal Palace (for DD2's birthday)
2) Akershus
3) Chef Mickeys
4) Be Our Guest

What do you think? & if we can't get Be Our Guest, what would you suggest as an alternative?

Thanks!!

 

[LaBelleVie]

Mine LOVED Crystal Palace for breakfast!

As for alternatives to BOG, Gaston's could be a good alternative for breakfast if you like cinnamon rolls. Cosmic Ray's and Casey's can be entertaining QS options, but if you're looking for only buffets and TS, you might be better off leaving the park for Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge, 'Ohana at the Poly, and 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.

 

[alliecat523]

Chef Mickey's is really expensive just to get Minnie. I would do CP and Akershus. BOG only has the Beast during dinner.

Minnie has been in Town square at MK in the mornings so you can get her around a CP breakfast. Moana is at HS I think but rumored to Ben moving to MK.

 

[mcurran]

Be our guest is not a buffet and you only meet beast on way out. If picking this one for the kids to meet characters this is a miss. Also the menu is not super kid friendly unless your kids are more adventurous.

Chef mickeys is good to meet characters but food is not good.

Akershus is a good meal. No moana but other princesses are there.

Crystal palace is your best pick here. Good food, nice buffet and pooh and friends.

Garden grill at Epcot, Cape may, Ohana, 1900 park fare, are all probably better choices to consider adding or replacing.

 

[Gracie09]

1900 park fare either breakfast -which if I remember had tigger and pooh - or dinner which is Cindy and the steps

Also tusker house has most of the characters chef mickeys has and I liked the food a bit better

 

[kastoney]

You may also want to consider breakfast at Cape May. Minnie is there and the reviews are MUCH better than Chef Mickeys. I can't speak from personal experience though. The only character meal we frequent is Tusker House, which has both great food and the characters, which we've found most of the others can't say.

Also try not to stress over it too much. With our daughter, who we started taking at the same age as your little one, and is now 6 she could care less where we ate, even if there were characters there. Meals took away from ride time for her and she just wanted to eat quick and get back to the action.

 

[aristocatz]

1900 park fare either breakfast -which if I remember had tigger and pooh - or dinner which is Cindy and the steps

Also tusker house has most of the characters chef mickeys has and I liked the food a bit better

Does Tusker House have characters during dinner?

 

[ShellieMimi]

Be our guest is not a buffet and you only meet beast on way out. If picking this one for the kids to meet characters this is a miss. Also the menu is not super kid friendly unless your kids are more adventurous.

Chef mickeys is good to meet characters but food is not good.

Akershus is a good meal. No moana but other princesses are there.

Crystal palace is your best pick here. Good food, nice buffet and pooh and friends.

Garden grill at Epcot, Cape may, Ohana, 1900 park fare, are all probably better choices to consider adding or replacing.

The BOG children's menu includes grilled cheese, Mickey-shaped turkey meatloaf, plain steak & mac and cheese. How is that "not kid-friendly" & "adventurous?"

 

[mcurran]

I don't disagree. Perhaps I should have said "picky eaters". From experience if you have picky eaters, after the euphoric park during the day going to dinner at a non buffet or a place without more selections (think rainforest cafe has like 10 options) going to bog where only 4 options are available and some may not appeal from the get go can be a let down. Im not saying bog isn't for kids. Everyone knows their own kids better than anyone else. Just take into account your kids preferences when looking at kids menus when considering places to eat with your kids.

The BOG children's menu includes grilled cheese, Mickey-shaped turkey meatloaf, plain steak & mac and cheese. How is that "not kid-friendly" & "adventurous?"[/QUOTE

 

[scard192]

last trip we did Tusker House breakfast and Minnie's Holiday Dine. The kids loved both, good character interaction.

had done CP, Akerhaus, 1900PF on previous trips when we had the DDP. Last November was paying OOP and wanted to do something different, pleased with both.

 

[ShellieMimi]

I don't disagree. Perhaps I should have said "picky eaters". From experience if you have picky eaters, after the euphoric park during the day going to dinner at a non buffet or a place without more selections (think rainforest cafe has like 10 options) going to bog where only 4 options are available and some may not appeal from the get go can be a let down. Im not saying bog isn't for kids. Everyone knows their own kids better than anyone else. Just take into account your kids preferences when looking at kids menus when considering places to eat with your kids.

I only listed four of them, but there are six options available. It isn't really feasible for every restaurant to have ten options just for kids. I think their menu is pretty well-rounded.

 

[Minniemoo15]

My DD3 loves anything with a show or some form of entertainment. Her #1 favourite is Biergarten, followed closely by Raglan Road and Ohana. Other hits were Tusker House, Sanaa, and 1900 Park Fare. She loved the princesses at Akershus but the food was so atrocious for us adults that we would never go back. And I've never said that before about a WDW restaurant in the 15+ trips we have been on.

 

[Minniemoo15]

Does Tusker House have characters during dinner?

Yes it does..food was great, atmosphere was fun and the characters were awesome! Much better than Chef Mickeys IMO.

 

[southjerseymom]

When my Disney Teens were Disney Toddlers we loved Chef Mickey's for dinner. Nothing was nicer after a day at the Parks to sit down and have a bottle of wine and some adult time while our kids were entertained by the Fab 5. That said, the last couple of times we have skipped Chef Mickey's because it wasn't worth the money. Hoping for Free Dining and if we get it I'm taking the kids back to CM. We have done Crystal Palace, Akerhaus, Cape May and 1900 Park. Loved them all. We always did dinner because we are not breakfast people. I still remember Akerhuas. It was years ago but my when my 16 yo saw Jasmine for the first time I think he instantly fell in love. It was a hoot to watch. That's what Disney does best - priceless memories.